Can a landlord refuse a Section 8 voucher in Wisconsin?
Often, yes. In Wisconsin, a person may not refuse to rent housing, or set different terms, because of lawful source of income. But in Knapp v. Eagle Property Management Corp. (1995), the federal Seventh Circuit held that a Section 8 voucher is not a lawful source of income under that law. Federal law leaves the voucher program voluntary for most landlords, but a property financed with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits may not refuse a tenant because they hold a voucher. This is Wis. Stat. § 106.50.
| What | Wisconsin |
|---|---|
| Renting to a voucher holder | Does not cover Section 8 vouchers |
| What the state law does | Protects public assistance, with a gap for vouchers |
Source
Wis. Stat. § 106.50
Read the statute in the Wisconsin Statutes (Wisconsin State Legislature): docs.legis.wisconsin.gov.
Checked against the statute on October 23, 2026.
This is a summary of a published statute, not legal advice. Rules change, local ordinances can add to them, and the terms of a specific lease may differ. Check the citation and speak to a lawyer before acting.
How Seayora uses this rule
This page states whether the state protects renters who pay with a housing voucher, so a listing and its screening rules can be checked against it before they are published. Seayora’s rental search assistant never filters homes by how a renter will pay the rent.
Guides on this rule
- Renting to Section 8 Tenants: A Landlord’s Guide to Vouchers — How the Housing Choice Voucher program works for landlords: the HAP contract, inspections and the 2027 NSPIRE change, rent reasonableness, and who pays what.
- Tenant Screening: What Landlords Need to Know — How to screen rental applicants fairly and legally: credit and background checks, consistent criteria, the FCRA’s adverse action notice and fair housing.
- The Fair Housing Act: A Landlord’s Plain-English Guide — The seven protected classes, what the Fair Housing Act prohibits, the small-landlord exemptions, advertising rules, deadlines and penalties, with citations.
Compare this rule in every state
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- Every Wisconsin rule on one page
The same question in other states
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kentucky